One Boat or Two?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Stumble

Not that it's ideal, but I keep thinking of something like a Corsair 37 tri. Large enough to live aboard, but trailerable (not on a weekly basis, but twice a year wouldn't be a huge issue.

Having a cruising boat and a daysailing boat is not so bad. My second boat now is a Hobie 33. Loads of fun. No systems at all, not even electronics...so minimal maintnance.

[Cheechako]

That's the big fear. I don't want something that I do for enjoyment to become a "job".
No easy options. But ,... if you can tolerate maybe a 26 foot boat, and can spend a month or two or three aboard south. I think a trailer and 3/4 ton+ truck have a lot going for them.
*They will pay for themselves pretty fast at storage and moorage rates.
* decommissioning a sailboat for trucking does take time, you don't want to do this for a two week cruise.
* preparing a boat that's been stored for 9 months is probably just as bad or worse though.
There are options with trailers from $3000 (Chrysler 26, Oday 25, San Juan 26 etc) to more expensive ones Contessa 26, Compac, Cape Dory, Hake 26 etc. I would think hard about a lightweight Freedom 25 or 27 etc with NO Rigging! Setting up and tearing down would be a dream with one of those.

For your two or three weeks.. no answers really, I expect you will spend a week preparing the stored boat to leave and a few days to decommission it again. That's half your time!
Just charter.. it wont be any more money with investment, storage, fixing things and work. Things seem to go bad faster on a boat that sits than one that's used... seriously!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

...

A friend from Chicago used to trailer his C22 down tot FL, with his C34 left on the hard off Lake Michigan during the winter. He did it for a few years, said it got tiresome, so found places down in the Keys he could get a house and a daysailor.

...

From my various readings on this and other boating forums, trucking gets pretty tiresome pretty quickly, and potential damages aren't fun to contemplate.

Good luck, happy planning.

Yes, trailer sailing gets old fast. I once comitted to a one year racing campaign on an F-31. I was way tired of that by year end. While Corsairs are amazingly light for their size you still need an appropriate tow vehicle which may mean you need to buy a truck too.

Don't believe the sales rubbish about 30 minute set up. After sweating in a parking lot for an hour or so setting the thing up, the Mrs may not be so enthralled about trailer sailing either. And if you only do it a few times a year it may take you longer.

And...there is camping on a sailboat versus cruising. On all the F boats up to the F31 it is definately camping. Unless I swapped First Mates too, I would be single handed cruising on any of them. Have not sailed the F36.

[JPA Cate]

Another issue that most people wouldn't have considered here is the twitchy motion of the tri. I don't know what kind of motion makes your good lady seasick, but if there is one, whether its slow and rolly or quick and twitchy, do take that into consideration. I know people with a nice tri who gave up cruising because the woman was always seasick, only recently did I wonder whether a heavy traditional mono with its more ponderous motion might have suited her better--and how hard it would have been for him to get his head around that!

FWIW, I counsel against dual boat ownership unless you are extremely well heeled. If it winds up being your job to maintain them, trying to keep after two different boats at opposite ends of the country will wear you down.

Above all, make it fun for your good lady. Frugal is well and good, perhaps even necessary, but fun is what will make her want to keep up with doing it over time.

Ann

[dergon]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Another issue that most people wouldn't have considered here is the twitchy motion of the tri. I don't know what kind of motion makes your good lady seasick, but if there is one, whether its slow and rolly or quick and twitchy, do take that into consideration. I know people with a nice tri who gave up cruising because the woman was always seasick, only recently did I wonder whether a heavy traditional mono with its more ponderous motion might have suited her better--and how hard it would have been for him to get his head around that!

FWIW, I counsel against dual boat ownership unless you are extremely well heeled. If it winds up being your job to maintain them, trying to keep after two different boats at opposite ends of the country will wear you down.

Above all, make it fun for your good lady. Frugal is well and good, perhaps even necessary, but fun is what will make her want to keep up with doing it over time.

Ann

On the mrs_dergon front I have nothing to fear. She is the life -long sailor. I am the converted power boater.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Another issue that most people wouldn't have considered here is the twitchy motion of the tri. I don't know what kind of motion makes your good lady seasick, but if there is one, whether its slow and rolly or quick and twitchy, do take that into consideration. I know people with a nice tri who gave up cruising because the woman was always seasick, only recently did I wonder whether a heavy traditional mono with its more ponderous motion might have suited her better--and how hard it would have been for him to get his head around that!
...

Good point. I've done a few long near coastal runs in moderately heavy weather aboard Corsairs and it was quite uncomfortable...forget sleeping off watch...impossible, unless you sleep well on roller coaster rides. Actually roller coaster rides are smoother and a lot dryer...Corsairs are a very wet ride in any significant sea state. Ive been underway on them in full offshore weather gear">foul weather gear, buckets of water streaming off of me...and not a drop of rain falling. Good news is, its over relatively fast.

High performance tris can be a real handful when the weather picks up too. And, unlike their more ponderous cousins (cruising cats) flipping them is more likely if caught by unexpected strong winds (plenty of accounts of flipped Corsairs).

Personally, I think the way to cruise a high performance tri is "resort cruising". Have great fun sailing like a bat outta hell to the next resort and then check in for a nice shower and a good nights sleep (although the tramps are comfortable for sleeping in the right weather at anchor...the below decks accomodations are minimalist and cramped ) .